Will anyone be able to buy a .ECO domain name?

Yes, but. We believe that .ECO can become a badge of commitment to sustainability. This means that anyone who registers a .ECO domain name will need to create a .ECO-Profile (think of it as an Eco-Linkedin). Your .ECO Profile will allow you to share information about your commitment to the environment through actions, memberships and reporting and more! So while anyone can register, keeping a .ECO will require real eco-action.

Does that mean .ECO could become too hard to get or end up turning into a green niche?

No. Putting these standards in place will make sure .ECO qualifies for protection as a community domain under ICANN’s rules. Many environmental groups have worked hard to make sure that .ECO is simple and trustworthy.

How will you make sure people with .ECO domain names are really sustainable?

By working with the environmental community. The Community Council spent over two years developing a “.ECO System” this unique system, combined with clear rules and a “take-down” process, will keep .ECO working for the environmental community. Learn more about the .ECO policy development process.

How can I buy a .ECO domain name?

Easily. You will be able to buy .ECO names from the same places where you buy any other web domain. We also hope many environmental groups, eco-certification and reporting agencies will also offer .ECO domains to community members at reduced rates.

How much will .ECO names cost?

Our goal is to price .ECO domains to be market competitive with domains like .COM or .ORG. We want anyone in the environmental community to be able to afford the .ECO domain of their choice.

Will you give back to the environmental community?

Yes. We will create independent foundation that will allocate a significant portion of the sales of .ECO names to help the environment. Importantly, environmental groups will play a key role in making sure .ECO funds are well spent.

Will the registration website be available in other languages?

Yes. It is critical people are able to register .ECO names and complete their eco-profiles in their own language. Long before launch, we will be working with our technical partners to build a multi-lingual .ECO system.

How will you handle rights protection issues?

Carefully and well. We plan to use a pioneering system that will ensure existing rights are protected, costs are minimized and domain squatting is prevented or remedied promptly. That way only the appropriate rights-owner will be able to own the .ECO domain for that name.

Will I be able to run a .ECO domain and another web domain name at the same time?

Yes. Owning a .ECO name doesn’t mean you have to give up your other sites. It can be a handy place to store your environmental information, as well as being a simple way to tell people where that information is displayed. Or it could be for your portfolio of green products. It’s up to the user what they want to do with their .ECO websites, so long as they fill out a .ECO-Profile.

When will we see .ECO up and running?

We’ve Applied for .ECO! A key part of this is submitting documentation proving we are a community (see our application). The actual launch date depends on how long it takes ICANN to process our application – it could be as soon as next year!

What is a Top Level Domain (TLD)?

A Top Level Domain, or TLD, is the group of letters that follow the final dot of any domain name. For example, in the domain name www.example.eco, the top-level domain is ‘ECO’.

Who operates a TLD?

Management of most TLDs is delegated to entities called ‘registries’ by ICANN. We are applying to act as the registry for .ECO.

What is the domain name system (DNS)?

The DNS is a naming system for anything participating in the Internet (like a company, product or personal website). It translates domain names meaningful to humans into the numbers used by machines to locate these participants anywhere in the world. For example, www.example.eco (for humans) translates to 208.77.188.166 (for machines).